Ever wondered what it’d be like to be stranded on island and be left with no choice but to try to survive unprecedented odds? Wonder no more because “Last Resort“, a new military drama TV series has surfaced on AXN (Astro 701) and AXN HD (Astro 721).
The series aims to take your imagination on an action-packed, adrenaline-doused adventure as Captain Marcus Chaplin (played by Andre Braugher) is forced to stay alive on very little means (read: random island) after he and his submarine crew came under attack from their own nation.
We spoke to one of the cast members, best known for her character, Taylor Townsend, on popular television series, The O.C. on her preparation for the role of Kylie Sinclair and what it’s like to be working on a set of a TV series that’s completely alien territory to her (guns, submarines, the works).
Meet Autumn Reeser!
Hi Autumn! We see you’ve been super busy with “Last Resort”. What did you do to prepare for your role?
“I’m still preparing! I have a giant reading list that I’m trying to get through in addition to learning all my lines and caring for my toddler. But when we started, I had a pretty ambitious reading list that focused on the political climate. Also, my character, Kylie Sinclair, her family is in the business of weapons manufacturing, so I’ve been reading up on that – in particular a book called ‘Atomic Awakenings’, which, as the title implies, is about nuclear weapons. I feel like I need to be well versed in that world.”
You know what though? Kylie almost feels as though she could be a female James Bond.
“Well, that’s funny because she was initially written as man. The character was Kyle Sinclair, and eventually this changed and became Kylie. So she still carries this sort of male-driven energy and testosterone. And that’s what I love about Kylie; she’s not afraid of being an atypical type of woman.”
Exactly! Which makes your role every more so interesting. Have you met anyone that has your job in real life?
“Not yet, but I would like to. I’m reading a lot about women in Washington D.C. and it is pretty fascinating stuff.”
We understand that the role of Kylie is not something you’ve done before – tell us more about her.
“Kylie comes from an old money family and in many ways, she’s sort of the golden child. She’s found herself following in the family business, but she’s not the typical sort of woman – or even person, really – that one would find in the business of weapons manufacturing. And Kylie knows this, and she uses it to her advantage. She’s unabashedly ambitious.”
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Are you a good shot? Also, we hear that you’re terrified of submarines in real life!
“I am not a good shot. I’m terrible! I’ve even had some weapons training on other projects I’ve done in the past, and I’m still bad! None of my bullets ever hit the target. I’m terrified of submarines! It’s the claustrophobia that gets to me. When I was a child, my recurring nightmare involved the submarine ride at Disneyland.”
You’re working closely with creator Shawn Ryan on “Last Resort”. Were you a fan of his work before you began working with him?
“I was a big fan. I had a baby this year, which kept me home a lot, and I decided to watch the entire series of ‘The Shield’. I did wonder if that was something that might give my child recurring nightmares. But I loved the show so much, so I guess it’s a fair trade off. I love the way Shawn writes characters; they’re not good guys and bad guys—everyone’s a good guy and a bad guy. And it’s like that on Last Resort, and that was one of the things that most appealed to me. And the women aren’t left out of it in any way. Some shows just have women who are there to be a girlfriend and they don’t have any story line of their own.”
We must say, the pilot alone looked amazing! Where did you guys shoot it?
“We shot the pilot and will continue to shoot the series in Hawaii. The exteriors will be all over the islands and in some really exotic locations. The setting will be an integral part of the show. Given what has happened, with our submarine defying commands, we have been forced to hide out off the coast of an island that doesn’t really want us there. So we’re constantly moving between the sub and the island.”
How far in advance do you know about your character’s story lines?
“We had a really extraordinary opportunity to sit down with the writers and talk about the trajectory of our characters. So I have a bit of an idea where Kylie is going this season.”
Alright, Autumn. Last one for the road. What does it feel like to be involved in such a big project?
“It’s tremendously exciting. For me, this is my dream job. It’s all about appreciating on a day-to-day basis what I’ve been given and then delivering a kick-ass performance. There’s such a high level of professionalism on our show and you see it on set every day. It’s incredibly inspiring, and it makes you want to bring your A-game. It’s such an incredible opportunity that you don’t want to slack off for one second.”
Aww. We love her enthusiasm and determination – and we know that we’ll be seeing Autumn a whole lot more in time to come. For now, catch her in “Last Resort” every Tuesday on AXN (Astro 701) and AXN HD (Astro 721) at 10pm.
She’s also on Twitter so make sure you follow her for more timely updates!
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